But Kirkland no longer is included in the number of black men behind bars or those who return to prison. Now he is counted in another set of numbers: he is a black man in college, studying to become an environmental engineer.

"I share my story all the time," Kirkland said. "I always want a person to get where I'm at in half the time."

Kirkland, of Philadelphia, was one of several local and national speakers Thursday at a symposium titled "The Urgency of Now: Changing the Narrative for Black Males from Failure to Hope."

The event, which drew close to 300 people during the day sessions, focused on bringing community leaders together to come up with ways to stop violence among black males. Conducted at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, the gathering also included an evening panel discussion and resource fair to connect people with services.

The number "187" has become synonymous for homicide in music and pop culture. California Penal Code section 187, defines murder as "the unlawful killing of a human being."

In this video, Collena Wells shares her story recounting the day her son Taiwo Douglas-Wells was stabbed to death behind Newsome Park Elementary school in Newport News in 2014.

If you or someone you know would like to share the story of a loved one on the Virginia Peninsula who was lost to homicide, please contact Rob Ostermaier at rostermaier@dailypress.com.

The number "187" has become synonymous for homicide in music and pop culture. California Penal Code section 187, defines murder as "the unlawful killing of a human being."

In this video, Collena Wells shares her story recounting the day her son Taiwo Douglas-Wells was stabbed to death behind Newsome Park Elementary school in Newport News in 2014.

If you or someone you know would like to share the story of a loved one on the Virginia Peninsula who was lost to homicide, please contact Rob Ostermaier at rostermaier@dailypress.com.

"When something matters to us, we move," said William Bell, CEO of Casey Family Programs. "When it's an election season, people gather in large crowds … they show up … but when young black men are taking each other's lives because they don't believe they have another choice, we remain silent."

Gov. Terry McAuliffe spoke about the importance of jobs and education and ensuring that people have the skill sets they need to be hired in the workforce. He also spoke about giving offenders second chances by restoring voting rights.

"What I'm trying to do is begin early, pre-K, K-12 every child gets a quality education," McAuliffe said. "It is absolutely critical if we want to help folks today be successful, we have to do it through our education system."

Hampton city leaders hosted a daylong crime prevention event called: The Urgency of Now: Changing the Narrative for Black Males from Failure to Hope" on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016.

(Joe Fudge)

Cities United, a national mayor-led initiative, focuses on eliminating violence related to black males. The group partnered with Hampton for the event and wants to use the city as a national model for others. Anthony Smith, the executive director of Cities United, stressed that mentorship and giving youth the tools to get jobs were key ways to curb violence.

"Young black men are not even getting the opportunity to work … we created a number of opportunities that were strictly for young black men and boys," Smith said.

Smith said that in one city, they taught a group of boys computer programming skills through a 12-week program. After the program, they received their coding credentials and were able to start a business. Their clients were small churches and small businesses. They were paid $99 a month to run their websites and create social media plans.

"They were able to take the tools they learned and they didn't have to wait years to put them into play," Smith said.

Hampton Mayor George Wallace and other city officials say this is the first step in preventing violence in the city. The goal of the symposium is for the leaders to take the ideas and information back to their respective localities as a "road map to action."

"The No. 1 cause of death for black boys between 10-24 is homicide," Wallace said. "We are losing a generation of sons, brothers, husbands and fathers … this is not an issue for the black community. It is a societal problem."